Solar fuels China's power surge

Meanwhile, coal power and gas power also rise amidst the hot weather.

Solar led the increase in power generation in China, with a 46.2% jump in August, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

In its new analysis “China energy and emissions trends: September 2025 snapshot,” CREA said wind and nuclear power generation followed, which were up 35.2% and 5.5%, respectively.

Coal power and gas power generation also rose in August, increasing by 2.2% and 15.4%, respectively, due to the hot and dry weather, whilst hydropower fell 9.9%.

Overall, China’s power generation increased by 6.6%,  whilst large-scale power generation inched up 1.6%.

CREA said this indicates that “most power generation growth comes from solar and wind installations that are outside of the industrial production statistics.”